OklahomaBizPac board announces endorsements for June primary

Published Tuesday, June 12, 2018

The OklahomaBizPac board announced the endorsement of 27 candidates ahead of the June 26 primary election.

The board spent three days interviewing candidates for northeast Oklahoma seats to determine recommendations for the board’s endorsements. This round of endorsements focuses on candidates with challengers in the June primary. More endorsements may follow in an August runoff and the November general elections.

OklahomaBizPac, a bipartisan political action committee affiliated with the Tulsa Regional Chamber, endorsed candidates based on several key criteria. The board identified county and state candidates who demonstrate leadership skills, promote a pro-business environment and show a willingness to serve the state of Oklahoma.

“The OklahomaBizPac board met with these candidates for three full days with interviews scheduled back to back,” said Jay Helm, chair of OklahomaBizPac and president of American Residential Group. “All those interviews showed us that the bar is raised this election cycle, and the candidates we’re endorsing are of the highest caliber. We are really excited to have these men and women serve the Tulsa region and Oklahoma as a whole.”

“We evaluated candidates based on a set of criteria that included their aptitude for leadership, strategic thinking and willingness to collaborate,” Helm said. “We also weighed each candidate’s alignment with the OneVoice Regional Legislative Agenda.”

The OneVoice Regional Legislative Agenda is the list of priorities for the Tulsa region developed collaboratively by more than 400 northeast Oklahomans over a four-month period. The legislative priorities include funding education, supporting economic development and reforming the criminal justice system. In 2018, more than 75 entities have endorsed the agenda, which is now in its 11th year.

Each candidate’s support of OneVoice legislative priorities was weighed in the selection process and discussed thoroughly by OklahomaBizPac board members.

“The OklahomaBizPac board did a tremendous job this year selecting from a range of candidates,” said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “Each of the candidates they selected should be proud of the endorsement. They were selected because they were the most capable to lead, and we wish them luck in their respective primary.”

“The Chamber and the regional business community will seek a strong relationship with whomever voters choose. Running for office takes courage and is a major commitment. The people of Oklahoma appreciate their willingness to serve.”

The list of endorsements includes:

Endorsements for Tulsa County Commissioner

Candidate

Party

District

Stan Sallee

R

Tulsa County, District 1

Ron Peters (i)

R

Tulsa County, District 3

Endorsements for State Legislature

Candidate

Party

District

Bill Coleman

R

Senate District 10

Kim David (i)

R

Senate District 18

Jason Smalley (i)

R

Senate District 28

John Haste

R

Senate District 36

Josh West (i)

R

House District 5

John Myers

D

House District 6

Martin Garber

R

House District 11

Kevin McDugle (i)

R

House District 12

Charles McCall (i)

R

House District 22

Mark Lawson (i)

R

House District 30

Greg Babinec (i)

R

House District 33

Louise Redcorn

R

House District 36

Rhonda Baker (i)

R

House District 60

Jadine Nollan (i)

R

House District 66

Jeff Boatman

R

House District 67

Lonnie Sims

R

House District 68

Sheila Dills

R

House District 69

Monroe Nichols (i)

D

House District 72

Mark Vancuren

R

House District 74

Ross Ford (i)

R

House District 76

John Waldron

D

House District 77

Karen Gilbert

R

House District 79

Melissa Provenzano

D

House District 79

Stan May

R

House District 80

Chris Kannady (i)

R

House District 91

(i) indicates the candidate is an incumbent.

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OklahomaBizPac, affiliated with the Tulsa Regional Chamber, is led by a separate board of directors comprised of business and community leaders from the Tulsa region, representing a wide variety of industries, interests and backgrounds.

Contributions to OklahomaBizPac and TulsaBizPac are limited to $5,000 per person, per year. Only individuals are allowed to contribute; no corporate or union donations are allowed. Contributions to a PAC are not tax deductible. No public investment funds are used in the administration of the PAC. OklahomaBizPac and TulsaBizPac are limited to contributing $5,000 per candidate.